Cynthia Love is an American entrepreneur and businessperson. She is former executive of publicly traded TORO, academic administrator, author, and ordained minister who has started eight companies, several non profits and served for four years as the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Community Church.

During her tenure as MCC's chief operating officer and business manager, Love played a role in the advocacy for human rights around the world. She has also served on the Faith and Religion Council for the Human Rights Campaign.[1] She was awarded the Bohnett Fellowship and attended an executive education program for local and state officials at Harvard's Kennedy School. She and her partner also acquired a new business in 2009, the Natural Food Center, in Abilene, Texas.[2]

Education and early career

A native of Abilene, Texas,[3] Love holds a Master of Arts from Louisiana Tech, and a doctorate in educational administration from Texas Tech University.[3] She applied her educational training to using technology in the classroom and to forming community-school partnerships; her efforts were recognized by the Texas legislature and by Governor Ann Richards.[3] She was later named the Executive Dean of Brookhaven College in Dallas, Texas.[4]

Love also spent many years in the business sector, founding such companies as Ecommune,[5] a business intended for advising Fortune 500 companies and technology ventures in Israel, School Vision of Texas, INC 500 member C.H. Love & Co.,[5] which was later bought by New Mexico Information Systems, and ICSS, Inc., which was acquired by The Toro Company, for which she guided a project that created a worldwide Intranet network,[6] and served as both director of customer service systems and manager of global customer information systems.[5][7]

From Toro, Love moved to other projects, including being the CEO of Friendly Robotics.[8][9] Her experience with technology was also called upon by NASA and by the Texas legislature.[3] For her business work, she was named one of the "Top 50 Entrepreneurs" in North America by Inc. Magazine, MIT and YEO in 1990.[3] She has served on numerous not-for-profit boards and committees for educational, business, and LGBT interests.[3]

Love has been the CEO and founder of a number of other corporations, including School Vision of Texas, Network in a Box, Apple Education Assistance Network, New Mexico Information Systems, and Integration Control Systems & Services.[3][10]

Ministry

Love grew up in the Church of Christ, was active in citywide ministry programs from a young age, married a minister from the church, but transferred to a Southern Baptist church after her divorce.[3] She was also active in local advocacy groups on issues regarding rehabilitation and disability services, workplace discrimination and HIV/AIDS issues; for instance, she was a long-time director of one of the West Texas Rehabilitation Center's advocacy programs, and she and her spouse later founded the Abilene Community Advocacy Program.[5] She later founded FAMLO, a non-profit organization addressing health issues around drug addiction and HIV/AIDS.[11] and most recently they founded Uncommon Tribe, a non-profit located in Abilene, Texas.

After leaving Toro and while working at Brookhaven, Love began serving on the MCC Board of Administrators; during this time, she completed her credentials for ordination in the denomination and took an interim post at MCC of Greater Dallas.[3] Between January 2005 and May 2009, Love served as the Executive Director for the MCC denomination.[1] Love was appointed executive director of the liberally-oriented (although still based on the Apostle's and Nicene Creeds[12]) Metropolitan Community Church in January 2005.

Love is also the author of Would Jesus Discriminate? The 21st Century Question.[1] This book is part of a broader campaign to prompt churches to consider the ways that religious attitudes against homosexuality may contribute to wider discrimination against gays and lesbians.[13] Although the campaign began in 2006, it continues to influence the discussion. News articles from 2009 show that churches are still hosting "town halls" on the issue in places like Anchorage, Alaska,[14] and that people are still using the slogan at marriage-equality rallies in Bloomington, Indiana[15] and in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.[16]

Personal

Love has two children from her first marriage.[3] In 2005 she married Sue Jennings in Canada after the country introduced legislation permitting same-sex marriages.[17] They later announced plans to marry under Californian law at a ceremony to be conducted in Los Angeles on June 24, 2008.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Religion Council". Human Rights Campaign website. 2009. Archived from the original on 2 September 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  2. ↑ Adame, Jaime (August 31, 2009). "New owners step in to run Abilene organic food shop". Abilene Reporter-News. Abilene, Texas. Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Biography". Metropolitan Community Churches. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-04.
  4. ↑ "Dr. Cynthia Love has been named executive dean of corporate and continuing education at Brookhaven College in Dallas". Community College Week. April 1, 2002.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Derocher, Anna L. (July 9, 1999). "Internet service allows woman to reach out to community". Abilene Reporter-News. Abilene, Texas. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  6. ↑ Paul, Lauren Gibbons (March 1, 1999). "Linking Up". PC Week. pp. 124–124, 131.
  7. ↑ Gibbs, Mark (February 22, 1999). "Grace Under Fire". Network World. IDG Network World Inc. 16 (5): 46. ISSN 0887-7661. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  8. ↑ Read, Brendan B. (March 5, 2001). "Winning Outsourcing Plays". Call Center Magazine. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  9. ↑ Jones II, Roy A. (March 5, 2000). "A 'Love' affair with a robotic lawnmower". Abilene Reporter-News. Abilene, Texas. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
  10. ↑ Schultz, Beth; Watt, Peggy (October 1998). "Legacy Lessons". Network World Fusion. Network World. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  11. ↑ "About Us". FAMLO.org. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  12. ↑ "MCC's Statement of Faith..." Metropolitan Community Churches. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  13. ↑ "Would Jesus Discriminate?" (Press release). Metropolitan Community Churches. June 7, 2006. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  14. ↑ Lamb, Jason (June 5, 2009). "City to introduce substitute gay rights ordinance". KTUU News Alaska. Retrieved March 10, 2012. The topic for discussion is "Would Jesus Discriminate?"
  15. ↑ "Protesters Rally Against 'Unfair' Marriage Laws". Rev. Evan McMahon was on hand at Thursday's rally, holding a sign that asked, "Would Jesus Discriminate?". July 2, 2009. Archived from the original on 6 July 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2009. Rev. Evan McMahon was on hand at Thursday's rally, holding a sign that asked, "Would Jesus Discriminate?"
  16. ↑ Barnes, Tom (March 17, 2009). "Groups rally to support state anti-discrimination bill". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 5 September 2009. People shouted, "End discrimination now." A little girl held a sign, "My 2 Mommies Deserve Equal Rights."' A man held a sign, "Would Jesus Discriminate?"
  17. ↑ Batsell, Jake (June 1, 2008). "Texas gay couples heading to California for licensed marriages". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  18. ↑ Bethel, Brian (June 2, 2008). "Abilene women plan to marry in California". Abilene Reporter-News. Abilene, Texas. Archived from the original on September 6, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
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